A large mansion occupied the best location in the local city of Yeli, with the river dock to the south and the other three sides separated from the commercial and wealthy areas by green trees. The pavilions and towers were all in the style of the Great Xia Dynasty. The garden design, which was quiet in the middle of the city, opened the eyes of Hassan and his companions.

This palace was actually built by Hubaye for Qin Mo based on the guidance of his "chief advisor," but Qin Mo didn't live there. Instead, he gave it directly to the Development and Reform Bureau to serve as their future administrative center in the local city of Yeli, and even offered many suggestions for expansion. After all, if you want to rule a piece of land, you still need to pay attention to appearances.

"Please have a seat, esteemed leaders. My surname is Lin, and I am a businessman. Everyone calls me... Director Lin."

Hassan and the others met a chubby-faced middle-aged man with a big smile. He greeted them warmly, but the translator's words left them speechless.

When Walmart first started, it was a group of businessmen's guards, but what about now? Screw the businessmen, screw the "guards"! This time, the Walmart family has really screwed them over. Even the regular army isn't this ruthless!

However, the ensuing conversation led Hassan and the others to believe that... perhaps these high-ranking officials were indeed businessmen, and that they were there to do business.

Hassan tentatively asked, "If we sign this 'trade treaty,' can we go home after three more months of hard labor?"

"Yes, during the work period, there are three meals a day and each work session lasts six hours."

Lin Yongqian affirmed, dispelling Hassan's other doubts, since it's easy to work someone to death.

Holin looked at the "Local Trade Treaty" and carefully studied the Sanskrit annotations. He immediately asked questions about anything he didn't understand. He felt that compared to his own life, the worst thing would be to do something that would dishonor his ancestors and be despised by all the tribes and city-states of India.

The Commercial Treaty is not long, and its main content revolves around explaining three points.

First: The Development Administration has the right to purchase land and build chambers of commerce in various city-states and tribal areas. It has law enforcement power on the land it owns. Local nobles are not allowed to obstruct the development of the Administration by any means. The money required to purchase land is offset by the ransom of prisoners.

Second: Merchants of the Development Administration have the right to trade in various city-states and tribal territories, and their commercial taxes cannot be higher than those of local merchants.

Third: If a merchant of the Administration Bureau violates the customs and laws of the region, the matter shall be jointly adjudicated by both parties, and the local city-state or tribe shall not arrest or adjudicate the person on its own.

"May I ask, esteemed sir, how large is the land you wish to purchase in our territory?"

Lin Yongqian laughed. The Zhu people weren't fools. They weren't afraid that he would "buy" their entire city-state directly, but no matter how smart they were, they couldn't outsmart the prince.

"A circumference of ten li is sufficient."

Hassan and Hollin discussed it and figured that the Development Administration only wanted to build a large market. A circumference of ten miles was just a little over a kilometer in length and width. Giving it to them would be fine, and they could even collect taxes. Why not?

A dozen or so leaders finally signed the treaty and, over the next few decades, became very important figures in Zhu.

Centuries later, Mahatma Gandhi, a proponent of Indian independence, wrote in his book *The Indian Self-Government*: "The 'protected areas' established by the Dayuans in various places became refuges for all Indian merchants. Those greedy merchants exploited the Dayuans' goods to extract the blood and sweat of the Indian people, becoming the new ruling class and ultimately shattering the perfect ruling model that had been established for thousands of years." To discuss *Sailing and Conquest* with more like-minded people, follow "or" on WeChat to chat about your favorite books with other book lovers.